computer simulations of drifting pumice.
Read morePumice stone from volcanoes in Micronesia appears on Taiwan shores
Environment
Rescue of false killer whale successful: plans for release tomorrow
Marine conservation workers plan to release a false killer whale into the wild tomorrow, after a successful rescue and rehabilitation effort spanning 7 days. Coast guard personnel and the Taiwan Cetacean Society moved the false killer whale to a specialized marine wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Keelung City after finding it beached in Yilan County, November 17. The false killer whale – actually a species of dolphin – was found to have a lung infection, and was in a
Read moreMan bitten by Thai cobra in central Taiwan: several times more venomous than native species
Doctors who have been treating a man bitten by a snake in a mountain district of Taichung City earlier this month have concluded that the man was bitten by a Thai cobra, raising concerns of a dangerous invasive species gaining a foothold in the country. The 64-year-old man, named Zhou was hiking on the Dakeng No.9 trail shortly before dawn on November 2 when he was bitten on the ankle by a cobra. Zhou turned back to seek medical attention,
Read moreFalse killer whale rushed to rescue center after beaching on northeast coast
Marine conservationists are working in shifts in an attempt to keep a dolphin alive after it was found stranded on a beach at Su’ao in Yilan County, yesterday, November 17. The false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), which is actually a species of oceanic dolphin, was reported stranded at around noon. Coast Guard officers and a veterinarian went to the scene to evaluate the dolphin’s condition and provide assistance. After examining the animal the coast guard and volunteers from the Taiwan
Read moreInvasive giant toad species found in Taiwan
On of the top 100 invasive species in the world – the cane toad (Rhinella marina), has been found in Nantou County, Taiwan, according to the Nantou Forest Management Office. An amphibian conservation volunteer team recently discovered the toads in a vegetable garden in Caotun Township, Nantou County. The team undertook a search and removed 27 individuals from the garden. The Nantou Forest Management Office contacted Professor Yang Yiru of National Dong Hwa University, and in cooperation with conservation volunteers
Read moreCrew abandons ship after Panamanian freighter runs aground in Penghu Islands
The 14-man crew of a Panamanian-registered cargo ship was airlifted to safety after the vessel ran aground in Penghu County following a mechanical failure, Sunday, October 17. Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration Magong Signal Station received a distress call from the crew of the Xinyan Fortune at 9:25 am, reporting that the ship had lost power and was adrift around 7 nautical miles northeast of Jibei Island. The coast guard dispatched three patrol boats and a fixed winged aircraft to the
Read moreChinese fishing boat fitted with anti-boarding spikes fails to evade Taiwan coast guard
Taiwan’s Coast Guard intercepted a Chinese fishing vessel operating illegally in waters near the Penghu Islands yesterday, and the boat was fitted with spikes designed to prevent boarding. Coast guard patrol boat #5053 was dispatched at 5:00 am, September 5, after a suspicious vessel was detected on radar. The crew of the patrol boat intercepted the Chinese-registered fishing boat 22.4 nautical miles southwest of Hua Islet. When the coast guard approached the vessel, it was noticed that three long steel
Read moreFishermen net giant sunfish off west coast
Fishermen from Chiayi County accidentally caught a rare ocean sunfish off the coast of Dongshi Township, and it was displayed and auctioned at the Dongshi Fish Market this morning. The fish weighed in at 180 kilograms and fetched NT$20,000 at auction. Seafood merchants noted that the fish is popular among seafood gourmets, with its intestines – known as “dragon intestines, being the most valued part. Wu Chunyu of the Chiayi District Fisheries Association pointed out that sunfish often appear in
Read moreWorld’s biggest container ship makes maiden Suez Canal passage
Taiwan shipping company Evergreen Marine’s newest container ship “Ever Ace” successfully passed through the Suez Canal yesterday, breaking a record for the largest container ship to pass through the waterway. At 400 meters long, 61.5 meters wide, and weighing 235,000 tons, the 23,992 TEU container ship became the world’s largest when it was launched at South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard last month. The Ever Ace traversed the Suez Canal on its maiden voyage to Europe en route to the
Read moreTaiwan winning war against invasive bird species thanks to aboriginal hunting skills
There should be only a handful of African sacred ibis left in Taiwan by the end of this year, according to the Forestry Bureau, thanks to the efforts of indigenous hunters who were brought in to deal with the invasive species after previous strategies had failed. In 2016, numbers of African sacred ibis were estimated at around 1,000 birds inhabiting wetlands in Changhua County and some other areas along the west coast. The population is believed to have grown from
Read moreEvergreen Shipping’s new world record megamax arrives at Port of Taipei
Evergreen Shipping’s new 24,000 TEU container ship EVER ACE arrived at the Port of Taipei for the first time today, August 8, breaking a record for the largest ship by tonnage to dock at the port. Evergreen took delivery of the world’s largest megamax container ship earlier this month from Samsung Heavy Industries. At 23,992 TEU, EVER ACE surpasses the previous world record holder, owned by HMM, by 38 TEU. EVER ACE is the first of a series of 10
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